Songs for life

Psalm 9There are rhythms to life which are good and healthy – work and rest, waking and sleeping, breathing in and out. And so with spiritual health there is a rhythm of praise and prayer which David teaches us in this psalm.

Psalm 7A five-year old boy is battered to death by his mum’s boyfriend for losing his shoe in a London park. A falsely accused Christian woman is on death row in Pakistan. Injustice is a big problem in our world. What hope is there? Does God care?

Psalm 5 At one level prayer is like breathing or talking – we don’t need to be taught how to do it. But at another level prayer is something we do need to learn and get better at. And there is no better place to go than the Psalms, the prayer-book of the Bible. What we have here is a masterclass in prayer.

Psalm 4 Ever struggle to get to sleep at night? Ever lie there with your mind and heart filled with worries and fears and problems, or with a troubled conscience? In this psalm King David shares the secret of how to sleep in peace, even when your world is falling apart.

Psalm 3Ever get that Monday morning feeling? Your mind filled with worries and fears about the week ahead such that you’d rather stay in bed? Join the club. It’s a club that is at least 3000 years old. The writer of this psalm has been there and found a route out of the depths. In this psalm he has signposted the route for us.

Psalm 2 Liberal democracy seems to be in crisis. Authoritarian states are increasingly powerful. Right-wing nationalism is in full swing. Global conflict seems increasingly likely. Where is the world heading? We know because God has revealed it in Psalm 2. And if we are wise, we will get on the right side of history.